Kukla's Korner Hockey

One of the greatest NHL players in history has called it a career.
The Hall of Famer finishes his career seventh on the all-time scoring list with 690 goals and 1,033 assists in 915 games, while serving as a hockey icon his entire career.

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The official retirement announcement from the Pittsburgh Penguins and a note from Gary Bettman,

“Mario’s exceptional play earned him accolades. His ability to face adversity earned him respect. His devotion to Pittsburgh and the Penguins earned him admiration. His dedication to hockey – at both the NHL and International levels – earned him the enduring appreciation and thanks of everyone associated with the game. We celebrate his playing career and wish him only the best in the future.”

update 2:20pm, from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

"I don't know how long it will be before we see another Mario Lemieux," said (Sean) Burke. "Now, we've got (Alexander) Ovechkin and (Sidney) Crosby, but I don't think you could ever put them in the class of a Mario. He was so big and so dominant.
"Whenever we played Pittsburgh, you were almost thinking, 'I hope he's really not that interested in playing tonight' because you knew, when he did decide to play, he was unstoppable and when he was just OK, he was the best player in the league."

Rarely has a player come to define a city the way Mario Lemieux has with Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately, the symbiotic relationship between player and city may finally be running its course after a two-decade union that produced a lifetime of memories for all.

This is it for No. 66.
He said today that no only can he not play to the level he wants, but that the heart arrhythmia problems he has been battling since December will almost certainly force him to undergo corrective surgery in the next month or two.

As we got the word at NHL.com that Mario Lemieux was going to announce his retirement at 2 p.m. Tuesday, preparations ramped up in a big way.
One of the detriments to age is not being able to remember all those fun facts that seemed to be at my fingertips not too long ago. So, as I researched Lemieux's career, I got to his career stats and was surprised.

I really hate seeing great players retire. We all do, no matter the sport. But the NHL has lost some of the all-time best this season. Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, to name a few. Now, Mario Lemieux.

It's little consolation, but take some time to reflect on the joy that Lemieux has brought to the franchise -- both on the ice and off. Know that he has faced some of the bleakest moments any human will face. And yet, he has prevailed. Lemieux's retirement may mark a sad day, but it's also a reminder about the frailty of human life, the cyclical nature of success in sports and the bright future that youth and talent can supply.
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